A Voiceless Town Shakes the Law--Mitake Town: The Dawn of Cooperative Autonomy (December 2000)

A Voiceless Town Shakes the Law--Mitake Town: The Dawn of Cooperative Autonomy (December 2000)

In 2000, Japan's rural areas were suffering under the shadow of industrial waste. Trouble over the construction of more than 500 disposal sites across the country. The municipalities were the ones who bore the brunt of the problem. However, they had neither the right to veto nor the right to grant permits and approvals, and they were subjected to the angry voices of residents outside the system's net.

The town of Mitake in Gifu Prefecture was one such example. The town established its own ordinance to prevent the construction of industrial waste facilities, and stood up together with its residents to establish the "National Liaison Conference of Municipalities with Industrial Waste Problems" in 2000. This was an unprecedented attempt to unite municipalities across Japan that were suffering from the same pain, share information, and make policy proposals to the national government.

This is more than just collaboration. This was the moment when the "frontlines," abandoned by the system, finally raised their voices. If the central government won't act, we will. This step by a small town eventually became a ripple that shook the environmental legislation.

The town of Mitake did not shout. It moved silently. And quietly, they moved the law.